The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-11-02
A BIG EYE OPENER.
SOUTH CAROLINA PAYS HER OFFICERS S
HIGHER SALARIES THAN ANY
OTHER STATE.
q Few Facts and Figures which Speak
Volumes as 10 our. waste Of the PeO-
HIa-S Money.
Ke0,DPe COu,'icr.

Pies Money.
ke0UPe Courier.
While fees and costs OF attorneys and Coun'
ty officers have been cut down 0nc.half to
iOuriifhS of the prices fixed by the Radical
| Legislature. 1t will be seen that salaried of
hcrrs, whose salaries were fixed by the same
| Legislature on Il widely different basis as to
| the relative value OF money and farm product
stand mainly unchanged. Forinstance. taxed
costs for attorneys i'm iitigatcd cases have
been reduced from 500 or so. to SIG or SIS; fees
of Clerks for recording from - cents per copy
sheet of 100 words 10 10 cents for same, and
other services and officers in proportion, while
the salaries fjudges, state officers and such
like remain unchanged. While this Is true
two thousand dollars will now purchase
almost as much cotton as four Thousand
would then. and the prices of nearly all neces.
suries for life and comfort have been reduced
on the average nearly 50 per cent. AS the
farmer must pay his lakes In money and tC
get money must sell his products ut market
prices, salaries should be proportioned to the
value of such products always putting sala
res al such rates as will command honest
and competent officials In State of the
population and resources of South Carolina
we think number Of officers might be dis
pensed with, salaries in many cases reduced
and many expenditures abridged or cut of;
The effort of the farmers 10 accomplish this
meets our approval.
It may be said that to get efficient officers
we must pay the value of the services OF conf
petent and trusty men. This all admit, but
we do not admit that the present salaries are
not too high, or are not higher than required
to secure proper officials. Are there not
hundreds OF farmers in South Carolina who
could fill the office Of Governor and who du
not, by constant labor make 81 ,OO0 per year?
Are there not hundreds of school teachers,
farmers, book-kecperS, etc, who labor from
sunrise to sunset for $OOO to 81, 90 per year and
who could acceptably fill the offices OF Secreta.
ry of state Treasurer, Comptroller General,
Superintendent of Education, etc? The
Governor gets salary of $500 a year and the
other State officers s., 100 each, while they
have from one 10 three clerks each at a salry
ofSl 800 per year, besides numerous contin-
gents.
We do not advocate the reduction Of the
salaries of any of these officers as lowas above
stated, but we do think the present salaries
should be cut down considerably and made
proportionatc TO the cost oflivinG and the
price of farm products; further, than these
offices should not be made sinecures to the
incumbents by an array OF clerks at high
salaries.
Let US take two States, South Carolina and
Georgia, and see how they stand by reports
OF salaries compiled in the American Alma
mac for 1886:
The Salary Of the Governor Of GeOrgia...S 5000
Other State Officers Observation-Disclosures. 13.A0O
Salary Governor South Carolina............ $500
Other State ers...."....."......."-... 15725
The Supreme Court Judge OF Georgia.. 1900
Three Supreme Court Judges OF South
Carolina ........................ II 100
Circuit Judges I'm Georgia, each..."."..... 1000
itatc OF State Tax in Cieorgia. 30 cents on 100
Rate of State Tax In South Carolina, 50
Genus lUO
This varies slightly each year.
We will mention few other States: West
Virginia paid her Governor Il salary Of $500,
her Supreme Court Judges each 50, 80 and her
State tax was in 1SSj-'SG, 80 cents on the hum
dred dollars. Vermont pays her Governor
81 900, her Supreme Court Judges $4,000 each,
and her rate of fStatp tnX Is ~ cents on one
hundred dollars. Michigan, where the great
agricultural college Is located, pays her Cover
nor 81 900, and her rate of State tax is II cents
on 500. Rhode Island pays her Governor ST.
ono and her State tax is II cents on the S1UJ.
Mississippi pays her Governor $1,000 and her
State tax Is . cents on the 500. New York
pays her Governor q salary of 600, and yet
bv reason Of her large population and wealth,
her State tax is only 70 Sd cenls on the 500,
etc. States fer widely in these matters, but
we find no State where the State tax is rs large
as in South Carolina.